'Wedding
Crashers' sparks new legislation
Evansville Courier & Press
(subscription), IN - Jul 21, 2005
By TARA COPP Scripps Howard News Service. WASHINGTON -
Want to land a bridesmaid? Carry around fake Purple Hearts and crash a
wedding. ...
'Wedding
Crashers' draws fire on Capitol Hill
Scripps Howard News Service -
Jul 21, 2005
By TARA COPP. WASHINGTON - Want to land a bridesmaid?
Carry a few fake Purple Hearts around and crash a wedding. That's one of
many ...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050725/ap_on_go_co/wedding_crashers_salazar
By JENNIFER TALHELM, Associated Press Writer Mon
Jul 25, 7:46 PM ET
Phony Purple Heart Taken Off Film Web Site
... "We understand the sensitivity regarding the medals and did
not intend to make light of their significance in any way," New
Line Cinema spokesman Richard Socarides said Monday....
Bill
proposes prison terms for anyone faking military awards ...
Stars and Stripes -
Washington,D.C.,USA
... Burkett said the FBI rarely pursues the fake medal
cases on their own, but have arrested ... He said expanding the
law will help keep real heroes' honor intact. ...
Legislation
would criminalize impersonating a decorated veteran
Wyoming News - WY,USA
... The true heroes quietly go ... To promote the
movie, New Line Cinema's movie Web site includes a fake, paper
Purple Heart to cut out, with the spoof: ''Carrying a ...
House
bill takes aim at 'stolen' acts of valor
Rocky Mountain News, CO -
Jul 20, 2005
By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News. A paper written
by a student at Colorado State University at Pueblo has inspired federal
...
Names
in the news
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer -
Columbus,GA,USA
... And for the ultimate babe magnet, a make-your-own fake
Purple Heart medal. ... allure factor may be risking more than
just offending real-life war heroes and their ...
Hollywood
forced to yield to veterans
Washington Times -
Washington,DC,USA
... boys intent on wooing bridesmaids by posing as heroes,
with medals to match. An official "Crasher's Kit" at the
film's Web site featured a fake Purple Heart ...
Purple
Heart proves no laughing matter
Baxter Bulletin - Baxter,AR,USA
... It's not a medal that's handed out lightly. There already
have been enough fake "heroes" claiming credit
and honors for something they never did. ... |
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050718/NEWS01/50718011
Police recover Medal of Honor
By Tom Spalding
tom.spalding@indystar.com
Ron Gray cradled the Congressional Medal of Honor on Monday as if
protecting an egg.
He was letting several TV cameras film the prized
memento in its display case when one of those cameramen tried to pick
it up to hand it back.
"No, no, no," Gray shooed him away, grabbing
the case.
Gray, an Indianapolis Police detective, led a 40-person
public safety team that found the medal today, four days after it was
reported stolen.
Several local agencies were part of the recovery team,
but spokespersons would not release details such as the identity of
the thief or thieves, how the medal was found or where it was found.
However, public safety workers and others close to the
case, who asked not to be identified, confirm the medal and briefcase
were found in the White River, near Harding Street on the Southside.
Indianapolis Fire Department divers made the discovery.
The medal had been taken from the trunk of Army veteran
Sammy L. Davis' car in the parking lot of a Rockville Road hotel,
where Davis was giving a speech. Davis then discussed the theft at a
tearful news conference.
Davis, 58, a retired sergeant, is one of only two
Hoosiers from the Vietnam War to have received the medal, which is
awarded by Congress. Davis kept that Medal of Honor close to his side
ever since President Lyndon B. Johnson presented it in 1968.
To have it back, Davis said today by phone from his
home in Flat Rock, Ill., was a relief.
"They've done an awesome job," he said of the
investigators.
"Everyone of them (investigators) told me, 'Sam,
we're not gonna quit until we find it.' And they didn't. They carried
through. It made it."
Davis will be in Indianapolis for a ceremony Thursday,
at which the medal will be re-presented to him, said Indianapolis Fire
Capt. Gregg Harris.
New Jersey-based FBI Special Agent Thomas A. Cottone,
Jr. said the ceremony is deserving. Cottone, who was part of the
investigation, is assigned to the 121 living medal recipients. Cottone
and the Indianapolis FBI office were involved, as well, because it is
illegal to sell or transport a stolen Medal of Honor.
"It's a national treasure that really can't be
replaced," Cottone said by phone. "This is a happy
ending."
IPD Sgt. Judy Phillips said police have questioned a
35-year-old Indianapolis man in connection with the theft of the
medal. The man, who has been in custody since Saturday, declined to
speak to the Star.
Davis said he spoke to a person who had details on why
his medal disappeared, but said it was up to authorities identify that
person.
Davis said he believes the combined power of a thief's
conscience and his personal plea led to the medal being discarded
where authorities could retrieve it. Otherwise, it could have been
sold, melted down, "or whatever they were going to do with
it."
A local business cleaned up the medal, Phillips said,
though the light-blue ribbon is a bit stained.
Phillips said it is unclear what happened to other
precious items taken during the theft: 40 professional harmonicas,
citations, and a collection of speeches Davis had given across the
country.
Davis was a sergeant whose act of bravery occurred in
Vietnam in November 1967, according to historical files. The
Mooresville High School graduate was awarded the nation's highest
military honor for his bravery and skill during a ferocious firefight
that killed about 30 of his comrades. He rescued three wounded
comrades, ignoring his own injuries to get them to safety.
Davis said the medal "belongs to my brothers and
sisters (in the military) and it belongs to the people. It's what it
represents: Duty. Honor. Country, and love of country."
Gray said he'll make sure it gets to its rightful owner
Thursday.
"It will be guarded until it is hand-delivered to
Sammy Davis," he said.
Call Star reporter Tom Spalding at (317) 444-2761.
|
Medal of Honor recipient outraged by easy access to
Purple Hearts
SALT LAKE CITY A highly-decorated war veteran in
Utah is adding his voice to the furor over false claims of having
earned a Purple Heart.
The flap erupted over the movie "Wedding
Crashers" in which the characters use bogus medals to try to
pick up women and get free drinks.
Yesterday, a Purple Heart was listed for sale on
e-Bay, for a starting bid just under 20-dollars.
That's angered George Wahlen, a former Navy
corpsman who was awarded the prestigious Medal of Valor. He tells
The Salt Lake Tribune that war medals are personal awards, and it
should be against the law to sell them.
A Colorado Congressman has the same idea, and has
introduced legislation to criminalize false claims of earning
certain military medals. Already, the Medal of Honor cannot be
bought, sold or worn by a non-recipient.
Associated Press.
|